In any attack on a military vehicle, the primary objective is always the safety of personnel within the vehicle. In furtherance of this objective, the vehicle access points, such as doors, are of critical concern. For example, during a blast event the doors must provide sufficient shielding of vehicle personnel by remaining closed, but also must remain functional to provide immediate exit from the vehicle after the event. Accordingly, door seals should remain intact to prevent gas ingress to the vehicle cabin, and door latches should remain functional to prevent trapping personnel within the vehicle cabin.
The latch of FIG. 1 illustrates a typical combat latching mechanism 50. Several of these combat latches may be located along the edge of a vehicle door with the intention that it acts much like a household deadbolt. That is, if anyone tries to enter, the combat latch mechanism 50 is fixed in place on the vehicle interior and requires mechanical disengagement from the inside to provide passage in or out. These latches are unlike a regular door latch which engages via springs and can be operated from the interior or exterior of the vehicle.
The combat lock mechanism 50 comprises linkage 52 attached to a pivoting paddle 54. The linkage 52 is actuated to rotate the paddle 54 which then engages/disengages with a slot 56 in the door frame when the door is closed, mechanically fixing the door lock.
When an extremely violent blast event occurs, such as an explosion, all of the vehicle door panels are designed to deflect to a point to blunt the blast. However, such deflection can also cause the paddle 54 to disengage with the slot 56 or to becomes bent. If the paddle 54 disengages, the door can open, at least enough to allow gases to enter the cabin. If the paddle 54 bends, it may not readily disengage when the occupants try to evacuate after the event, trapping them inside.
These and other problems are solved by the present device and system by providing a door support assembly capable of withstanding a severe blast event without compromising the safety of the personnel and without hindering egress of that personnel after the event.